Defiance is part of your writer’s toolbox, too.

A short post today. Something needs to be said to writers. I touched on it in the video below but, after reading a book about writing recently, I feel the need to reiterate: Enjoy writing. If you aren’t enjoying it, take a little break and refocus.

Too many rules and prescriptions are paralyzing.

Aside from a few okay tips, the writing instruction book got so far into the rules of writing that the act began to feel like a sterile formula instead of a creative juicefest devoid of life. That book on writing and editing was a buzz kill joydrainer. (Juicefest and joydrainer aren’t words in the dictionary. Suck it up, buttercup. I’m feeling feisty.)

Then, after reading a reviewer say a book “had no new concepts,” I didn’t want to write at all. What a tired slam. There are no new concepts in fiction. If there were something truly unique, most readers would hate the book. It’s about plot and character, dialogue and action. A book’s value is not about whether an idea is repeated from another book, TV show, movie, myth or legend in existence. There are a lot of those.

I’ve written more than sixteen books. Obviously, I enjoy writing. Today, I got tired. I didn’t want to write anymore. I wanted to stop trying. I need to squeeze the crap and frustration out of my head. I’m going to go read something for pleasure now.